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Understanding user behaviour in activity-based offices.
Annu Haapakangas1, Pia Sirola1, Virpi Ruohomäki1
1Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Finland.
Ergonomics
|June 28, 2022
Summary
Individual differences in activity-based office (ABO) use are linked to personal and situational factors, not just job roles. Younger age, male gender, managerial status, and higher work ability correlate with more active workspace utilization.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Workplace Design
Background:
- Activity-based offices (ABOs) offer flexible workspaces but individual usage patterns vary significantly.
- Understanding the drivers behind these variations is crucial for optimizing ABO environments.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the interplay of personal and situational factors in ABO usage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between person-related and situational factors with workspace use and perceived person-environment (P-E) fit in ABOs.
- To determine if these associations are independent of specific job profiles.
- To identify factors influencing the perception of workspace switching efficiency.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 332 employees 7-11 months post-office redesign in a single organization.
- Data collected included self-reported workspace usage, perceived P-E fit, and demographic/situational variables.
- Statistical analyses were performed to identify significant associations.
Main Results:
- Younger age, male gender, managerial position, and better work ability were associated with more frequent use of diverse workspaces.
- Workspace switching was perceived as more time-consuming by employees with lower office attendance, high workload, and poor ergonomic satisfaction.
- Most factors, except gender, were significantly associated with P-E fit.
Conclusions:
- Person-related factors (age, gender, work ability, role) and situational factors (workload, ergonomics) significantly influence how individuals use and perceive activity-based offices.
- These factors are relevant independently of job content, highlighting the need for personalized approaches in ABO design and management.
- Generalizability requires consideration of contextual, cultural, and specific office design variations.
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